On a bright Sunday in September, Bryn Gweled homesteads opened their doors
to visitors for the very first time. What a glorious event. Begun in 1940 by
a group of Quakers and others, Bryn Gweled is a cooperative community, home
to 81 -2 acre homesteads
where the land is leased but the homes are owned. Two acres was meant to be
the minimum amount of land a small family needed to be relatively
self-sufficient. The rest of the acreage is community land comprised of
roads, a community garden, playing fields and community center, and what has
become a small forest. Although they are self-governing, they are also a
part of Southampton and are under that township’s rule.

Each community member pays a small monthly fee for the upkeep of
their community and is encouraged to take part in the community committees
as well as being good neighbors. Homesteaders, on their own, have created
tool shares and community composting, to name but a couple of innovations.

The homesteads that were open for the visit were diverse. Some grew their
own food either on their homestead or in the community garden. Others raised
a variety of barnyard animals – chickens, geese, ducks and pigs. There was a
sheep farm which offered wool for spinning or knitting and they were also
experimenting with felted woolen mattress pads. There were also several
beekeepers with honey for sale.

Some homesteaders had amazing gardens, others offered views of their passive
house style homes and solar arrays. We met a wonderful older couple who were
one of the original homesteaders, having moved there in 1949. They lived in
a tent until they built their home themselves out of material salvaged from
when Vine street was being widened and all the houses had to be torn down.
They joked that neighbors always knew when they were going to have an
addition to their family as that also an entailed an addition to their home.

The people were friendly and open to sharing
their unique experiences whether it was their unique homestead or explaining
why they chose to relocate there or the process of joining the community and
the involvement required. Overall, it was a fascinating place to visit and
probably an interesting place to live